Warming up prior to playing and training is a matter of routine for any serious player. A smart warm-up not only improves your performance, but also helps you to prevent injuries. "The 11+", the new injury prevention programme from FIFA's Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC), provides a complete, football-specific warm-up and can easily be integrated into a daily training routine.

"The 11+" is divided into three parts: it starts off with running exercises (part I), moves on to six exercises with three levels of increasing difficulty to improve strength, balance, muscle control and core stability (part II), and concludes with further running exercises (part III). The different levels of difficulty increase the programme's effectiveness and allow coaches and players to individually adapt the programme. "The 11+" takes approx. 20 minutes to complete and replaces the usual warm-up before training. Prior to playing a match, only the running exercises are performed, for about ten minutes.

"The 11+" has proven to cut injuries by up to half - if performed correctly and regularly. When it is adopted together with the values of fair play, it enables you, as a player or coach, to protect yourself, your team and your opponents and thus increase everyone's enjoyment of the game. Click here to see the 11+, a complete warm up to prevent injuries.

All S.C.O.R. coaches and trainers MUST have a meeting with the parents of the players they train and specific topics must be addressed. Obviously, the provided checklist can and should be supplemented with your own topics, but make sure there is no contradiction between SCORs and your philosophy. The right side space has been provided for your convenience, so that you may make notes before, during or after meetings.

Introduction

Give parents your experience and certifications as a player and coach. Make parents aware and discuss the following documents. They can find them on the website.

Coach Evaluation Form - fill out and return Coach Evaluation form to manager 2 weeks prior to end of season.

Parent Code of Conduct Responsibilities

Player Code of Conduct Responsibilities

Parents' Obligations

Discuss the need to have 1 parent present at all practices.

Remind parents to talk to you with concerns and only after consulting with you should they call the CD. Any potential negative discussions between coach and parents must take place 48 hours after event (practice or game).

Player pick-up must be arranged by parents on the assumption that coach or trainer is not able to stay behind with player(s).

Team commitment to tournaments

Discuss Players' Obligations

Give parents an outline of what you will be expecting from your players including Players' Code of Ethics and Pledge handouts. Parents need to be made aware that their child has responsibilities and players need to sign Pledge before first game of the season.

Coaching Philosophy & Obligations

Make sure your philosophy agrees with that of S.C.O.R. and make parents aware of it. Include issues such as; Attitude, attendance, playing time, positions, season expectations, rain days and anything else that you would like to address. Practice sessions will not be cancelled unless the weather is too bad. When fields are closed you can use

parking lots, gyms, soccer movie or your imagination.

Tryout Process

Discuss Tryout process as described in handouts.

Clarify mid-season evaluation process and meaning.

Additional Soccer Programs

Encourage parents to have their children participate in SCOR's supplemental development programs.

Encourage parents to have their children attend SCOR camps in the summer.

Encourage players to go to High School and local college games.

Encourage parents to have their children participate in any other soccer programs of offered across the State.

A renowned sports psychologist once said "A good coach is able to take a player where they have never been before and will not get to on their own." This in many ways gives meaning to what it is to coach and encapsulates the primary purpose of our coaching staff. A good youth coach is a 'craftsman' that has pride in developing players' skills and an insatiable appetite for more soccer.

The craft of coaching youth players involves having carefully designed and focused practice sessions in an environment which closely resembles the competitive pressure of a game.

Our objectives for the season are:

Players to possess the fundamentals in ball skills, passing, receiving and shooting

Players to continuously develop an insight to the game of soccer

Continue to cultivate and feed a true passion for the game of soccer in our players

Have an organized and natural progression to teaching soccer so that when our

Players move on within the Travel Program they indeed have the tools to compete

One of the great rewards of coaching youth soccer is helping to energize a player and stimulate a player so that he or she want wants to improve. Our coaches may be faced with players who are not interested in playing soccer and the coaches have to adjust accordingly.

Coaches have been instructed to give attention to the disinterested players but not at the expense of the rest of the team. Interest in playing soccer needs to be developed and will play a big part on our coaches' agendas.

Role model

Model and teach players to honor the game by setting high standards and demonstrating

Respect for the rules, opponents, teammates, of officials and one self.

Help players redefine what it means to be a 'winner' by focusing initially on mastery of skills rather than solely on the scoreboard. Of course, as our players develop the needed skills to compete, winning should become more important.

Quality practice sessions

Concentration - is there an atmosphere to perform and to learn? Is there close attention by players?

Fun activities

Minimize lecturing

No lines, no laps

Use assistant coaches to reinforce rules

Many touches on the ball

Be understanding and patient

Treat all 'kids' as equals but separate 'players' according to 'slanted line' theory

Give specific instructions that relate to session's topic

Mixtures of positive and negative reinforcement but never let a player leave practice on a negative tone

Appearance and participation

Come to practice and games dressed like a coachDemonstrate skills if able

Quietly coach at games so that players can make their own decisions.

Organization

Soccer players learn to play better soccer by practicing soccer-like exercises. 'The game is the teacher and this means that the coach organizes conditioned short-sided or small group games to improve players. We call this 'facilitating learning' and our coaches will organize their sessions in a manner that it becomes apparent it is a rehearsal for the game day routine. In other words, we want to allow our players to make their own decisions and learn from their mistakes.

Off-field responsibilities

Parents meetings

Explain philosophy

Expectations

Promote supplemental programs and SCOR camp

Pre- practice/game routine

Clarification of practice rules and expectations

Warm-up

Written player rankings submitted to Coaching Director by end of season,

Copy submitted to Coaching Director

Written lesson plans on file

Attend all 3 seasonal pro coaches meetings

On-field organization

Number of players 1vs1, 2vs2, 4vs2, 4vs4+2, etc.

Size and shape of field

Long and narrow for vertical passes, short and wide for shooting and crossing

Goals and methods of scoring

Emphasis on 'finishing'

Shooting into a full goal

Dribbling across a line

6 passes equals a goal, etc.

Zonal games

Restrictions within marked areas

Focus

Concentration on one or two topics per session

Repetition opportunity

Less variety of activities throughout season to limit confusion

Finding teachable moments: (1) When something is done correctly, (2) When something is done incorrectly, (3) During water breaks, between exercises, ball out of play, players are fatigued

Coaches are required to coach 3 sessions provided by the Coaching Director

Practice components

Warm-up - FIFA 11+ Curriculum

10 minute player-organized short-sided scrimmage

Activities - 2 or 3 activities addressing session topics

Final game - even numbered game. Coach emphasizes points from the practice

Cool-down - FIFA 11+ Curriculum

Observation and Instruction

There has to be a natural progression to teaching soccer where winning is emphasized but not until after the foundation has been set. Having a coaching staff that understands and agree with SCOR's immediate and long term objectives is vital to our program's continuous success.

The one most important question our coaches should ask themselves after a session is 'Did my coaching alter playing behavior in my players?'